End of the Line

The End of the Line is a spooky story from Japan about a man who is involved in an accident and has a strange dream while unconscious.

During the Summer, my friend Bako went mountain climbing. He lost his footing and fell off the steep cliff face. Luckily, he landed on a ledge and it saved his life. However, he was badly injured and had to be rescued. He hit his head in the fall and when they brought him to hospital, he was still unconscious.

The doctors examined him and found a swelling in his brain. He had to have surgery immediately. They were in the operating room for hours and they managed to reduce the swelling, but he was still in a coma.

A few days later, he recovered and I went to visit him in hospital. He told me that, while he was unconscious, he had a very strange dream.

In the dream, Bako found himself standing in a deserted train station.There was nobody else in sight. When the train pulled into the station, he got on board.

There were no other passengers on the train. Bako was completely alone. After a long time, the train started slowing down and it pulled into another station. He looked out the window and saw that the platform was deserted.

Just then, he heard a low, crackling voice over the intercom: “Next stop, final stop. Next stop, end of the line.”

Something about the announcement sent a chill down his spine. He jumped out of his seat and managed to get off the train, just as the doors were closing.

That was the moment when he awoke from the coma.

The doctors told him that he was lucky to survive. For a while, he had been lingering between life and death, they said.

While Bako told me about his dream, I could see he was becoming upset and his face was growing pale.

I asked him why it troubled him so much and he said, “What if I hadn’t gotten off at that train station? What would have happened if I had stayed on the train to the end of the line?”